CVE-2026-45968
cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available On certain platforms (PowerNV systems without a power-mgt DT node), cpuidle may register only a single idle state. In cases where that single state is a polling state (state 0), the ladder governor may incorrectly treat state 1 as the first usable state and pass an out-of-bounds index. This can lead to a NULL enter callback being invoked, ultimately resulting in a system crash. [ 13.342636] cpuidle-powernv : Only Snooze is available [ 13.351854] Faulting instruction address: 0x00000000 [ 13.376489] NIP [0000000000000000] 0x0 [ 13.378351] LR [c000000001e01974] cpuidle_enter_state+0x2c4/0x668 Fix this by adding a bail-out in cpuidle_select() that returns state 0 directly when state_count <= 1, bypassing the governor and keeping the tick running.
INFO
Published Date :
May 27, 2026, 2:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
May 27, 2026, 2:48 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel.
- Apply the cpuidle governor fix.
- Ensure power-mgt DT node is present.
- Bypass governor for single idle state.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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CVE-2026-45968.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-45968 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
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stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-45968
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
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Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
May. 27, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available On certain platforms (PowerNV systems without a power-mgt DT node), cpuidle may register only a single idle state. In cases where that single state is a polling state (state 0), the ladder governor may incorrectly treat state 1 as the first usable state and pass an out-of-bounds index. This can lead to a NULL enter callback being invoked, ultimately resulting in a system crash. [ 13.342636] cpuidle-powernv : Only Snooze is available [ 13.351854] Faulting instruction address: 0x00000000 [ 13.376489] NIP [0000000000000000] 0x0 [ 13.378351] LR [c000000001e01974] cpuidle_enter_state+0x2c4/0x668 Fix this by adding a bail-out in cpuidle_select() that returns state 0 directly when state_count <= 1, bypassing the governor and keeping the tick running. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4da2b897283c39980d6ae09dc1560fcd937879e5 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5c577ac939bca486cb02069505cfe47a5312ce02 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d103a38e2ae96eca57fd17161bcd29bd4622d1c Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63ae78336f40bcd9a44952a7c6bafb9c88a8effd Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8f6833d919bae915ead6c599a53e81e19b32da52 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0724e40a58a0e323c59707edeae5b71d15800dc Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0f7e804edc82e513d1ccb7c95ed8b351522ec81 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e5c9ffc6ae1bcdb1062527d611043681ac301aca